Rant: I hate A3 lights!

[Akash]

I hate everything A3 Halogen lights! We have also got an 8P 2010 A3 1.4 tfsi and the lights on them are rubbish. I might be biased because I've got full led lights in the A6 but even then, A3 ones are just really not good.
So I had 5 days with the car while the wifes away to do a few things up - one of which was to fit Osram 130% bulbs I had already got from somewhere for someone for some car that clearly did not get used.

Passenger side: Got it out
Drivers side: no chance

In the end, a friend with much smaller hands got the driver side out...and then we both spent 2 hours trying to put them back in.
Today is day 3 and somehow I managed to get the drivers side in but passenger is still no go.

I've peeled the wheel arch back to go in that way, I've tried from up top, I just can't get the stupid thing in.
Admit defeat today and called a local garage that I'm popping down to in an hour - hopefully they can sort it out.

I just don't get it - it's a european built car where there is an expectation in many european countries to carry bulbs yet this is not something anyone can do. Yet I've managed to get both sides changed in an A6 C6 and they were not easy especially with a 2.7 tdi lump in the way but the A3 really is something else.

Rant over - I'm not even going to think about changing the DRL's now - initially I wanted them changed given how rubbish they are but it will be easier to chop the car in maybe in 2018 and get something else
My day job is in IT/coding/databases...my side hobby is repairing mobile phones/laptops yet a light bulb change in a car has defeated me. I dread to think how the headunit replacement is going to go once this is sorted!

[Gazwould]

Ridiculous considering they're both safety issues .

Standard halogens are out of date and useless candles .

Then they make them a bitch to change , was a breeze back in the day with H4's .

[Akash]

Yup exactly.

Well update...the garage spent 20-30mins and failed. He blamed the retainer clip being out of shape but I knew that was not the case as they're fairly strong.
That was about a mile up the road from the house.
I then drove a further mile to an Audi dealership as I know the a couple of the service guys there... service manager came out, 20 mins no go. Then grabbed a master tech...no go
everyone gave up in the end - rang up a local specialist but it was a case of yes we can check/repair but can't give you estimate on time for thursday (so a potential all day waiting game at their place)...to be fair they offered a free loaner but it was too much hassle.

And so end result?

Came back home, watched a decent 7 minute video on bumper removal, and proceeded.
an hour and half later with only 3 screws remaining - everythings back together and working.

I have a slight gap on the lip of the bumper on one side I can't figure out but thats one of the screws yet to back on along with the two main bumper screws from behind the arch so it should bring it all in more.

I also feel the belly pan thing has a lot of play underneath the car but I can't for the life of me remember whether that was normal or something I did...May pop down to Audi tomorrow to check one of their cars as there were a fair few A3 8p's in for work

I'll put the remaining screws in tomorrow as I have now very limited light outside and it's not worth rushing for the sake of it and all is good.
I am going to however cancel the upgrade on the DRL's - forget changing bulbs again! ( I probably will rather than spending £70 a side or whatever it is)

And........breathe!

[Gazwould]

The useless EU should of made a law that vehicles should have room to change a headlight bulb by a lady at night with the aid of torch .

[Fexo]

Cost me a fortune at the dealership to remove the bumper and fit the xenon bulb (£156!); about £300 in total with the "diagnostic" rate for labour. An expensive joke! I will look and see what it's like with my wife's new 66 plate revamp lights.

PS- I forgot to mention that, at the same time, they left off the cover for the air intake (it was later found on the bottom tray) and so summer was a pain as all the hot air from the engine was being sucked into the cabin (not as bad as when they did the flooring brakes and left me with fuel squirting into the engine- and they wonder why I now use an independent).

[Crasher]

I have started using the new Phillips 150% bulbs instead of their 130% versions, good feedback.

[Gazwould]

Alright for a weekend car or one that's hardly driven at night .

Just 200 hrs bulb life :( a Philips 130% has 450 hrs .